IPL 2024: Mark Boucher, the head coach of the Mumbai Indians (MI), has disclosed the true rationale behind Rohit Sharma’s dismissal as the team’s captain. He said the reason was entirely cricket-related.
Mark Boucher stated that the Mumbai Indians are in a transitional period, and it is critical to bring out the best in Rohit Sharma as a player with Hardik Pandya at the helm.
“I believe it was purely a cricket decision. We saw a window of opportunity to bring Hardik back as a player. For me, it is a transitional period. Many people do not understand that in India, people become quite emotional, but you know you can remove the emotions from it. I believe it is simply a cricketing decision, and I believe it will bring out the best in Rohit both as a person and as a player. “Just let him go out there and score some runs,” said Mark Boucher on the Smash Sports podcast.
Furthermore, Mark Boucher stated that management had the idea of giving Rohit Sharma some space away from the spotlight of captaincy in order to bring out the best in him as a batter. Notably, when his team finished last in the table in 2022, the 36-year-old scored 268 goals with a strike rate of 120.18. He scored 332 runs at 132.80 during the 2023 IPL season.
Want Rohit Sharma to enjoy his batting without the burden of captaincy
“One thing I noticed about Ro (Rohit) was that he is a fantastic guy. He has been captaining for a long time and has done an excellent job for the Mumbai Indians. He now also leads India. He walks into a room full of cameras, and he is so busy. He has not had the best couple of seasons with the bat lately, but he is done well as a captain.
“And I just thought you know, when we were talking with the entire Mumbai Indians team, we thought maybe this is an opportunity for him to step up as a player. We believe he has some great value to add, and he should go out there and enjoy it without the pressure of being captain,” Boucher said.
Mark Bucher also complimented Hardik Pandya, who was traded from the Gujarat Titans (GT). He left MI as captain ahead of the IPL 2022 season and led GT to the title in their inaugural season. Gujarat Titans finished second in 2023.
“He belongs to the Mumbai Indians. He joined another franchise, won the championship in his first year, and finished second in his second year. “So there are obviously some very good leadership skills,” Boucher stated.
